Another Kind of Baby

I have taken running up again since having Caleb. Really, I am in the limbo between walking and running - I pass walkers, but runners pass me. The other day I was jogging along the trail and heard the two women behind me gushing over how cute a puppy on the side of the trail up ahead was. When they reached that point, they actually stopped jogging and said to the owner, "Oh, can we stop and see your puppy?" This was followed by much cooing and exclamation of preciousness. These two joggers honestly were reacting exactly how normal people react to newborn babies.
Also, since moving to Austin I have noticed a strange new trend:
Huh? Is that a $200 stroller I see, made specifically for dogs? I have seen several of these on the trail that I jog along and always think it's crazy. But I guess in today's day and age, pet dogs are becoming a replacement for children. Elder Oaks even commented on this in the last general conference:
"One of our family members recently overheard a young couple on an airline flight explaining that they chose to have a dog instead of children. 'Dogs are less trouble,' they declared. 'Dogs don’t talk back, and we never have to ground them.'" (Unselfish Service, Ensign, May 2009).
Dogs do have many advantages. You can put them outside or in a cage when you get sick of entertaining them, you can go out to dinner whenever you want without having to hire a babysitter, and you don't have the nightmare first couple of months where you sit up all night every night with them because they won't sleep.

But really, could you give this up for a puppy and feel completely fulfilled and satisfied?